Brother cs6000i vs Singer 7258 – Two Excellent Machines

Brother cs6000i

Singer 7258

As a seamstress I have long understood the importance of a good sewing machine. Investing in a quality machine with a reputable name is a must for anyone who is serious about sewing. Whether your passion is quilting, making your own clothing, crafting or the latest trend—refashioning—you want a machine that meets your needs, performs consistently and has a reputation for solidly built machines.

As with any product, you need to do your homework and make sure that you know what features you are looking for before you purchase a machine. A heavy-duty sewing machine is best for quilting, while crafting may require a machine with a variety of special stitches, and possibly even an embroidery application. Here we compare two machines from two of the most reputable names in the business—Brother and Singer.

Start with the basics.

Both the Brother cs6000i and the Singer 7258 offer a wide range of features. The cs6000i has 60 built-in computerized stitches, including embroidery, quilting, heirloom, garment construction and buttonhole—seven buttonhole stitches, to be exact. The 7258 offers 100 built-in computerized stitches, including 76 decorative stitches for crafting and embroidery and six buttonhole stitches.

Both machines have a drop-in bobbin system for easy loading, as well as an automatic needle-threader that takes the time and frustration out of threading your machine. Although both machines have computerized stitching and LED touch-screen capabilities, only the Singer allows the user to override the system and choose stitch length and width for maximum creativity. The Singer also features automatic tension, ensuring stable stitching on all types of fabrics.

Stitch features.

The Singer far surpasses its competition in available stitches. The cs6000i has sixty built-in stitches, with twenty decorative designs. The 7258 has almost four times that many, with 76 decorative stitches, ensuring that no matter what the project, you are sure to have a range of stitch designs to choose from. The Brother cs6000i offers seven quilting stitches, while the Singer does not have this feature. Both machines offer multiple buttonhole stitches, making an often frustrating and time-consuming process much easier.

The Singer 7258 has a high-quality, heavy-duty metal frame that makes it the ideal machine for heavier projects such as quilting, sewing on home decorator fabrics and working with heavyweight fabrics such as denim. It weighs in at a solid 14.6 pounds. The Brother cs6000i is a lighter machine overall, as it does not have the metal frame. Although it is an excellent machine for making clothing and working with lighter-weight fabrics, using it for heavier materials could result in the machine “walking”, leaving the user with uneven stitches.

Pros and Cons: Brother cs6000i

Reviewers love the lightweight design, easy to follow manual and drop-in bobbin features. Issues with the machine included the low-wattage bulb that makes it difficult to see even in good lighting and “walking” issues on heavier fabrics. Reviewers also found the automatic threading feature to be difficult to use, difficult to get to and hard to see because of the low-wattage bulb. Other frustrations included the fact that the machine is loud during operation, has difficult-to-program stitches and problems with tension settings that require customer service calls to resolve. Its overall rating on Amazon was 4.5/5 stars.

Pros and Cons: Singer 7258

Reviewers for the 7258 praise the incredibly detailed, easy-to-follow instruction manual; it’s quiet operation, especially for a heavy-duty machine, and wide selection of available stitches. Frustrations include a bobbin that “jumps” out of the casing during operation, difficult-to-operate self threading feature and tension settings that do not remain constant, resulting in bunched up thread beneath the fabric and requiring additional time to untangle and reset before continuing. Amazon gave the 7258 4.5/5 stars.

Break it down…

Both of our machines are made by well-known companies with a reputation for quality. Brother has been around since 1908, and has considerable popularity in Europe. Singer has been in business since 1851, and has been a household name for more than 160 years. In comparing these two machines, both through online reviews and personal use (I own one of each), I found that both machines are equally matched in quality and ease of use. Some of the issues mentioned above (tension issues, difficult-to-program stitching and the self-threading feature) could simply be a lack of understanding by the operator when using the machine.

Both machines feature computerized stitching, and while this sounds like a bonus, it does increase the difficulty of use and also the chance that something could potentially go wrong with the computer system and leave the user high and dry.

While neither machine is designed for professional use, the Singer comes close with its heavy-duty construction and extra stitches. It is priced slightly higher than the Brother, however the difference in cost is worth it if you are planning on heavier sewing. The choice boils down to what you will be using the machine for, how much you want to pay, and what features are important for your particular needs. Both machines are an excellent value for the price, and no matter which one you choose, you are choosing a trusted, time-honored name.